Tokyo’s Ginza is known as the most fashionable neighbourhood in the Japanese capital. So when a public elementary school needed new school uniforms, they reached out to the Italian luxury brand Armani for help.

The uniforms designed by Armani

Taimei Elementary’s redesigned uniforms are no doubt sleek and stylish but they do not come at a small price. The full uniform set, including a bag and a hat, could set parents back more than 80,000 yen (over $730), which is around three times the cost of the current uniforms. Naturally parents are outraged at this move, claiming that this goes against the purpose of a school uniform – especially since Taimei is a state-funded school.

At a press conference, Principal Toshitsugu Wada said that he chose Armani because the brand operated a boutique near the school and because “it would fit Taimei’s identity as a school of Ginza.” Wada said that the controversy surrounding the choice had not changed his belief that the cost of the new uniforms was worth it.